


Zeb's Hearing

by rebel_wren



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 17:44:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20362531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_wren/pseuds/rebel_wren
Summary: Lasat can hear better than many others, and this gives Zeb experiences many don't have.





	Zeb's Hearing

Lasat have better hearing than many other humanoid species in the galaxy.

Zeb had always used that to his advantage- while his size certainly hindered him from being stealthy much of the time, being able to hear footsteps and voices better than Twi’leks or humans (yes, Ezra, even Jedi), could help make up for that in many situations.

Though it wasn’t always a blessing. Why did Ezra have to move so much in his sleep? Why is Chopper’s charger so damn loud? Does Kanan really have to snore like that? Does Sabine have to work on her art so late at night?

And could Hera please invest in a more soundproof door for when she and Kanan were together?

Zeb didn’t like to eavesdrop- if someone wanted to tell him something, they would. That’s what he figured. That’s why he never bothered to ask Hera so many questions about Fulcrum like Sabine did. But sometimes, he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t his fault they were so loud.

* * *

He remembered when he first joined the crew, before they’d picked up any kids, a conversation he heard from Hera’s room while he was making himself a midnight snack. The kitchenware in the  _ Ghost _ wasn’t the quietest, and he couldn’t make out all of the words of what they were saying. But he remembered hearing poorly stifled laughter and happy sighs, and found some happiness in the fact that in the dark age they were in, such warmth was still present in the galaxy.

He’d seen the way they’d look at each other, the level of trust and comfort they seemed to have. He missed that feeling of devotion.

He hoped that the galaxy would treat their love kinder than it had his.

* * *

He remembered hearing Chopper warbling annoyedly in the cockpit once while Hera and Kanan had gone to run some errands. Zeb hadn’t had as much experience with droids as many people, but he was sure that the old C1 was the most foul-mouthed of them all. He had walked into the cockpit, to find what Chopper was cursing about- it seemed that he’d dropped a roll of dura-tape, and it had rolled underneath the cockpit, too far back for him to reach. 

Zeb had simply laughed at the droid and knelt down to get it (though it was a tight squeeze for his thick arm), and once he got it he stood up again, taunting the droid by holding it up in the air. He earned himself a quick shock from Chopper, which made him drop the tape before he gave Chopper a sharp kick.

“Bucket of bolts!” Zeb yelled, and the next sound Chopper made sounded suspiciously like laughter.

* * *

He remembered when Kanan had first found a scared, yet tough young girl with dyed hair and brightly painted Mandalorian armor. She didn’t want to talk much to any of them about her past. But Zeb could relate to not wanting to talk about the past, and he knew both Hera and Kanan did as well.

He had found one thing she would talk about- art. He asked her about some of the paint on her armor, and she’d sat and talked to him about art for ages. He didn’t quite understand or remember everything she said, but he let her talk for as long as she wanted- she seemed to enjoy it, and Zeb was happy to see her perk up the way that she did.

He heard her crying one night in her room, only a few days after they’d all met. It was late enough to almost be early morning when Zeb had woke up from the sound. From what he knew of her already, he knew that she would be embarrassed of being caught, so he woke himself up, and prepared a quick breakfast for her.

By the time he had finished making it, the sounds had stopped, though he still rapped on her door a few times. She opened it a moment later, her hair disheveled, and she looked surprised by the tray he was carrying.

“Thought I’d make you breakfast,” Zeb said. “I know it’s early, but you seem like an early riser.”

Sabine slowly took the tray from him as he offered, still looking rather bewildered, though she slowly formed a grateful smile on her face.

“Th- thank you, Zeb.”

He nodded. “Welcome to the family.”

* * *

When Ezra woke up in a panic one night, Zeb had woken up with him. He heard Ezra hyperventilating, and maybe even crying. And it made his heart hurt. No one in the crew was a stranger to nightmares, but Ezra was still just so young.

He certainly wouldn’t admit it to him or anyone else, but Zeb was growing a fondness for the boy. He felt protective of him, in a way.

“Breathe, kid.”

“I am breathing!” Ezra snapped, though he sounded nearly out of breath.

“Slower,” Zeb said, still keeping his calm cadence with him. “Deeper.”

Ezra actually followed his advice that time, slowly bringing his breathing down in pace and relaxing.

“Feel better?” Zeb asked after a few moments.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Zeb didn’t answer, he just turned over in bed and tried to fall back asleep.


End file.
